Hammond has been active both as a member of the gospel performing group Commissioned, and as a solo artist (currently for Verity Records). He is a multiple Grammy-, Dove-, Stellar- award winner and nominee as a performer, producer and writer.

Hammond first gained recognition while playing bass guitar for the gospel group The Winans.^[2] By 1985 he was one of the six original members of the group Commissioned, participating in 10 of the group’s 12 albums.

Born in Troy, Alabama, the third son of Eddie and Willie Mae Lewis. His parents were sharecroppers. Lewis was educated at the Pike County Training High School, Brundidge, Alabama and also American Baptist Theological Seminary and at Fisk University, both in Nashville, Tennessee, where he became active in the local sit-in movement. As a student he made a systematic study of the techniques and philosophy of nonviolence, and with his fellow students prepared thoroughly for their first actions. He participated in the Freedom Rides to desegregate the South, and was a national leader in the struggle for civil rights.^[1] In an interview John Lewis said “I saw racial discrimination as a young child. I saw those signs that said “White Men, Colored Men, White Women, Colored Women.”…”I remember as a young child with some of my brothers and sisters and first cousins going down to the public library trying to get library cards, trying to check some books out, and we were told by the librarian that the library was for whites only and not for “coloreds.” John Lewis followed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and Rosa Parks on the radio. He and his family supported the Montgomery bus boycott.

Alexander Miles is known for improving the elevator. He improved the method of the opening, and closing to the elevator door; and he improved the closing and opening to the shaft when an elevator was not on that floor. He created an automatic mechanism that closed access to the shaft. At that time elevator patrons or operators were often required to manually shut a door to cut off access to the shaft.^{[citation needed]}

3 Chics hopes you’ve enjoyed Ms. indie Irie this week. Today’s tune is a Don Henley classic “HEART OF THE MATTER.”

She was a notable interpreter of the Great American Songbook.^[2] Over the course of her 59 year recording career, she was the winner of 13 Grammy Awards and was awarded the National Medal of Arts by Ronald Reagan and the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George H. W. Bush.

It is long past time that we adopted a collective and individual response to the Obama-is-a-seekrit-Mooslim smear: hysterical laughter followed by immediate dismissal of absolutely everything else that person has to say about anything. Such people must not be granted one more minute of anybody’s attention, least of all the media’s.

Satan only wants to cause between you animosity and hatred through intoxicants and gambling and to avert you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. So will you not desist? (Sura 5:90-91)

It is not permissible to imitate the (the nonbeliever) in any of their acts of worship, rituals or symbols, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” Source

President-elect Barack Obama and his family planned a Christmas Day that includes opening presents in the morning and sharing a traditional turkey and ham dinner in the evening. Source

Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked a name other than that of Allah. (Sura 5:3)

As I have written about in my books, I first joined Trinity United Church of Christ nearly twenty years ago…Rev. Wright preached the gospel of Jesus, a gospel on which I base my life. Source

Read more here:

Photo Gallery to follow…